Unlike Collin, I wasn’t going to bother wasting energy on talking. Instead, I kept eating and chewing…until finally my stomach began to churn. Regardless, I shoved a handful of salty fries into my mouth, chomping, no longer caring about manners.
Damn it, I ate like a champ, and I’d win like a champ too. I had to.
Minutes passed, and droplets of sweat poured down my temples. He had the heat turned up, so I leaned over to turn it off, swiping my forehead with the back of my hand. Who knew competitive eating would be so much work?
Just when I had my second burger almost gone, I turned to look at Collin, finding him with his hands over his stomach and empty wrappers and fry containers in his lap. Between his lips was a straw—half his milk shake was gone too.
“Shit.” I dropped my food onto my lap with a slap. French fries spilled all over my knees and the floor.
I’d been duped.
And to think, I was stupid enough to make such an important wager with him.
“How’s the stomach?”
“Lousy.”
He laughed. “I won. You know what that means, don’t you?”
I sighed, not knowing how to answer. Because for the first time ever, I was very happy to lose.
Chapter 17
Collin
It’d been three weeks since Addie and I had decided to make things work, nanny-wise, and everything was running smoothly. We didn’t talk about anything other than Chloe, which meant we were staying on track as far as the employer-employee relationship went.
But tonight—when I swung open the front door and saw her standing in my living room, dressed like a tempting, forbidden beauty—everything inside me flipped.
I’d frozen at the sight of her. She wasn’t wearing her normal jeans or one of her comfy white T-shirts or hoodies. Instead, she wore this dress—this hot-as-fuck dress that should’ve been illegal. It was short and blue and hung off her shoulders, baring more skin than my cock could take.
I always managed to notice her eyes, but tonight, they stood out in a way they hadn’t before. They captured me, sucked me in. She was a breath-stealer and absolutely stunning.
Then Lia had popped through the door and said: Oh, good. You’re ready. We’ll meet you in the car, Collin. Apparently my sister had invited Addie to go out with us.
Now, there I was, watching her dance under the club lights, and I somehow knew I was up against the biggest challenge in my life. I wanted Addison Booker. And I wanted her in a way that went beyond normal.
“What’s your issue tonight?” Gavin nudged me with his shoulder, frowning.
I leaned back in my seat, eyes on the dance floor as my sister and Addie moved together to the beat. It was my first Friday off in a month, and whatever had possessed me to come out with these three was already jacking with my head.
“Nothing.” I frowned, pulling my cell from my jeans. I flipped to Max’s name and sent him a quick text asking if things were good.
He was staying with Chloe and playing Xbox with the little dude from down the street who’d just turned ten. Max told us since he was babysitting one kid, he might as well have another there with him. And because my sister was dying to hang out with Addison, she’d invited us all out.
Since I suddenly liked to torture myself, I’d agreed.
“Liar. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off her all night.”
I shrugged, not denying it.
“Take it you two are good?”
“Yeah.” And good was the understatement of the century.
Gavin cleared his throat, sitting up straight in his chair. “You keeping it professional, right?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, I wanna ask her out—wanna make sure there’s no baggage needing to be packed up between you two first.”
My jaw flexed, and my chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe. Should’ve expected this. Just not so soon.
“Why her?” I asked, already knowing the answer. She was just shy of perfect. Anyone could see that—even Gavin, who’d sworn off relationships until he knew he’d met the one. I hated to break it to him…there was no way I’d let Addie be that woman.
“Because she gets me.”
“What’s there to get?”
Gavin’s eyes darkened at my question, but his tone stayed light as he studied the dance floor. No doubt he was watching Addison like I was.
“You gonna answer that?” I leaned forward against the table, tapping my fingers on the wood.
“I’ve just got all this crap running through my mind. The bad kind.” He squinted. I wasn’t sure at what, just knew it wasn’t the girls this time.
“You wanna talk to someone about it?”
“No,” he barked, meeting my stare. “I don’t need a shrink. I don’t need nothing.”
I held my hand up, cautioning him. I knew the signs of denial, and he was definitely suffering. A lot. And as a former marine, I still felt the need to be on guard for my boys, no matter what.
“I know someone who might be worth talking to. Remember the lady I saw after everything with Amy went down? She’s a good doc.”
He stood, slamming his chair against the table. “I told you, man. I don’t need a shrink. I’m. Good.” He drank the rest of his beer in one shot and then took off toward the bathrooms.
“Gavin, come on,” I called after him, hating how badly I’d fucked up.
“What’s his deal?” Lia took a seat next to me, panting.
Expecting to see Addie next to her, I glanced up, shoulders falling when I saw only my sister.
I sipped my water, suddenly wishing I wasn’t the DD for the night. “Nothing. He’s just tired.”
Lia grinned. “Soooo…”
“So what?”
She bumped my shoulder with her own. “Addie’s pretty perfect, huh? Told you so.”
Seemed like everyone had a thing for the woman. “Don’t even start with the I told you so crap.”
She rocked back and forth on her heels. “Wouldn’t dream of it. Plus, she’s not my type.”
“Everyone’s your type.”
She took a drink of her blue-looking vodka, still grinning around her glass. I hated when she got like that. The girl had more secrets than anyone I knew but always seemed happy, no matter what was going on in her life. She’d been given the gift of everlasting happiness, while I stayed irritated and constantly pissed off.
“Where’d Addie go?”
“Bathroom.”
“And you let her go off by herself?” I stood and headed toward the hall.
“The girl is twenty-six years old. Relax, Collinator. Think she can handle finding the toilet without my help.”
“Don’t most girls go to the bathroom in groups?”
“I’m not most girls. Don’t think she is either. Now sit your ass down and relax.”
In this dive bar, there was no relaxing. Fucking college town, college kids, drugs, rapists. Thoughts went wild in my head as I pushed through the crowd to look for her. She wasn’t in line outside the bathroom, and I couldn’t go in there myself without freaking a bunch of women out, so I went back to the table to wait, hating that I had no idea where she was. When it came to this woman, my need to protect came on strong and fast.
Minutes passed, and she still didn’t show. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Gavin either. Then I started thinking about what he’d told me at the table. How he wanted to ask her out, and that set off another round of shit-storm thoughts inside my head. My buddy was messed up right now, and the last thing I needed was for him to run Addie off. I was doing a bang-up job of that on my own.
Impatient, I stood and went to look down another little hall, searching the private rooms in the back. Still, there was no sign of her. When I didn’t find her, I turned back down the main h
all again, not caring as I shoved people aside and got dirty looks in the process. My heart thundered in my ears as I moved faster, sweat soaking the back of my shirt.
Maybe she’d answer the phone if I called her. Outside the main hall, right next to the dance floor, I pulled my cell from my pocket. But then I looked up and searched the room once more—and that’s when I saw her. With Gavin.
Side by side, they were smiling at the bar, her laughing and pressing her hand against his arm. He was smiling too, happier than I’d seen him in a long while. The view did things to my stomach—almost tore my guts out.
“There you are, ya big idiot. Thought you were gonna lose your shit back there.” I blinked, staring down at my sister. Her eyes, like mine had been, were zeroed in on Gav and Addie at the bar. But the smug smile on her face had me gritting my teeth. “Huh. Would you look at those two.”
“There is no those two. They’re friends.”
“Sure they are.”
I glared at her, jealousy rearing its ugly head once more. “She helped him with Chloe one night. They…talk on occasion.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Talk?”
“What are you trying to say, Lia? Quit beatin’ around the damn bush.”
With her hands pushed out in front of her, my sister said, “Just saying I think you might have some competition.”
My throat grew dry. And sure enough, when I turned back toward Gavin and Addie, he had his hand splayed wide over her lower back, getting the laughs out of her that I wanted to get.
“Keep telling yourself you don’t have feelings for her, Col.” Lia sighed and patted my arm. “But if you decide not to admit it, then don’t get pissed at me when I tell you I told you so.”
Moving her cryptic ass forward, Lia walked toward Addison and Gavin, winking at me from over her shoulder as she sidled in next to Addie. Neither of them looked her way, both too distracted with each other to notice.
Damn sister. Putting thoughts in my head. I wasn’t about to admit the truth when I told myself I had no right to feel things in the first place. Still, call me a selfish prick, but just because I couldn’t have her didn’t mean Gavin could.
Chapter 18
Addison
After my fourth drink of the night, I was feeling pretty good. Kind of floaty, where nothing could bring me down. A happiness only brought about by vodka…and the crazy girl dancing across from me.
“Having fun?” Lia leaned in as the techno song we’d been shaking our asses to came to a halt. In its place was something slower, not a slow song so to speak, but something more sensual—a beat that you could move your hips to. Seductive. Warm. Exactly how I was suddenly feeling.
I hadn’t done the club scene when I was in college, so this was a new experience for me. Exciting in a way. And more fun than I’d had in months…possibly even years.
“Yeah, I am.” I nodded in case she couldn’t hear me over the bass pumping through the speakers.
“Wanna sit?” She pointed toward our table.
I shrugged, not caring either way. One thing I’d learned about Lia was that she wasn’t there to pick up men like most of the girls surrounding us probably were. She was there to let her hair down—her pink hair down—and just be free. She was a dancer, gorgeous, and in comparison to her, I felt like a frumpy schoolgirl who was ready for Sunday brunch, not a night on the town with friends.
Wait. Friends? Is that what these people were to me now?
I smiled at the thought, moving toward our table. Just before I could get off the dance floor though, a hand wrapped around my waist, and a hot breath of air whispered in my ear.
“Thinking it’s my turn. Whaddya say?” Grinning, I turned around, weirdly giddy over the fact that Collin was asking me to dance.
But it wasn’t Collin. It was Gavin.
Stomach in knots, I put on my best smile and said, “Sure.” Even though the disappointment stirring in my chest said something otherwise.
Gavin was attractive and kind, but there wasn’t a spark with him like there was with Collin. But we’d become friends over the past few weeks, and that’s exactly what I needed. A friend.
“You seem happy.” Gavin wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close.
“I am. Tonight’s been fun.”
For three weeks now, I’d been watching Chloe, the job becoming nothing short of amazing for me. Collin and I were getting along, and I had my friendship back with Lia. I missed McKenna like crazy, and we talked almost daily, but she’d be home soon.
For the first time in seven years, I felt almost settled. Content even.
“Happy looks good on you.” Lips parted, Gavin reached up and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. I stiffened, taking in the dangerous look in his eyes. A look I wasn’t ready to reciprocate.
“Relax, Ads.”
My lips parted, but I still couldn’t move. Had I read him the wrong way? Because suddenly, being Gavin’s friend felt too intimate, too close.
“I’m kind of dizzy. Not sure if I’m up for a dance after all.”
His lips pulled down at the corners, his eyes going blank. For a second, he looked disappointed, but it lasted no longer than the blink of an eye.
“Absolutely.” He cleared his throat and motioned toward our table. “Looks like boss man might cut my nuts off if I hold you closer anyhow.” He chuckled. “And I’m kind of fond of the boys.”
I nodded, thankful for the moment to be over. But then I looked up and saw what Gavin had. Collin’s eyes fierce. And fully locked on me.
“You guys ready? Looks like the college crowd has overrun this place,” Lia grumbled, tapping her empty glass against the table.
“Yeah, sure.” I smiled her way, needing to avoid Collin’s death look.
“Think I’m gonna stay out a bit longer. I’ll catch a cab home.” Gavin took a step back from me, meeting Collin’s gaze. Their stares held, and I swear the amount of testosterone in the room could have been bottled and sold to any man lacking. But then Gavin turned around, leaving Collin there with confusion clouding his gaze as he watched his best friend walk away.
Avoiding my stare this time, Collin stepped in front of Lia and me, leading us toward the front door. Lia circled a finger close to her ear and mouthed cuckoo, almost as though her brother and his friend’s mood swings weren’t that big of a deal. Maybe to her they weren’t, but I felt like I was on a never-ending roller coaster of highs and lows whenever they came around.
On our way out, Lia looped her arm through mine and waved to a few people as we passed by. She was a natural at socializing. Nearly everyone seemed to be drawn to her.
Outside by the main door, a skinny, tattooed hottie with a Mohawk stopped Lia by placing a massive hand on her shoulder. He held her in place, ogling her with big, dark eyes. She looked both shocked and seduced—a look I’d never be able to master.
After a few seconds of the pair pawing at each other, Lia turned around and grabbed me by the arm. “Gah, I’m such a bitch. Addie, meet Travis. Travis, meet Addie.”
Travis took punk rocker to a level that was beyond awesome. Piercings in every inch of his ears that matched Lia’s. Tattoos leaving not an inch of ink-free skin exposed, other than his face, along with two lip rings and a nose ring. The two of them looked good together.
“Good to meet you.” He shook my hand, his British accent luring me in. My face grew hot—even though he wasn’t close to my type.
“You too.”
The two of us stood in awkward silence as Lia jumped ahead. When I finally spotted her coming back, she was dragging Collin by the arm. His jaw was locked, like always, but for the first time that night, his anger wasn’t directed toward me.
Lia bounced on her toes, pride in her eyes as she grabbed hold of Travis’s wrist and held on tight. “Colly, meet Travis. Travis, meet—”
�
�The overprotective brother.” Travis chuckled and let his hand dangle over Lia’s shoulder. His palm hovered over her breast, and even I wasn’t okay with that display.
A growl rumbled from Collin’s throat. “And who the hell are you?”
“Collin!” Lia shoved his chest, giggling. I cringed. Family drama was not my area of expertise. “Play nice. Travis is a good friend of mine.”
Ignoring Collin, Travis leaned over, whispering into Lia’s ear. Her face lit up, bright as the northern lights, and the growl rumbling from Collin grew louder.
Deciding there needed to be an intervention to prevent bloodshed, I reached for Collin’s hand and tucked him to my side. He jumped at the contact, eyes flashing as he studied my face. I held my breath, praying my touch distracted him enough not to murder Mr. Mohawk Man. If there was one thing I’d learned over the past month, it was that Collin had a temper.
“I think I’m going to stay behind. You two run along home. Make sure Max isn’t torturing my niece,” Lia said.
At the mention of Max, Collin whipped his head toward her. “He’s gonna come looking for you, ya know.”
A look of challenge spread across Lia’s face—with something like fear mixed in. But because Lia was the queen at hiding things—even more so than her brother, it seemed the look disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
“Doubt he’ll find me.”
Before I could say my good-bye, Lia was off, hand in hand with her sexy rocker guy, leaving me outside in the dark with Collin.
“Christ,” he hissed, pulling me with him. “Can this night get any worse?”
Struggling to keep up with his pace, I yanked my hand back.
“What’re you doing?” He stopped, turning to face me.
“Walking at a normal pace, maybe?” I snapped.
“You’re too slow. Gotta get out of here before I do something I’ll regret.” He reached down to grab my hand again, but I pulled it back to my side.
“Maybe if you’d ask me politely to hurry up, then I would. But it’s hard to walk in heels on this bumpy road.” Which is why I shouldn’t have worn the stupid things in the first place.
Reckless Hearts Series, Book 1 Page 12